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Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2015 6:28 pm
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Sanuye had never been wandering around that late at night before. She'd been out at night plenty of times, yes, but not quite so late as now. The sky was gleaming with countless glittering baubles--stars as far as the eye could see. The half moon was a light in the dark. The desert area of the canyon had cooled considerably. The crags and cliffs towered over the mare, making her feel safe in their shadows. She was very at home in that area.
As breath-taking as it all was, her purpose for being out and about was not to star-gaze. She was looking for night-blooming cereus flowers. To her, they were just as beautiful as the stars. But their purpose was far more practical in a healing sense. There was much good that could be done with their properties. She just had to be careful of the cactus spines...
Just as that thought entered her mind, a wave of doubt followed in its wake. There was a proper way to remove the flowers from the plants, and she knew how--she knew she knew how, but there was always a chance she'd do it wrong. Well, the only one who'd get hurt in that case would be her own self, so it--...agh, what was the point thinking about it? But she just couldn't help it. Her posture fell lax, but she was unaware. She continued on, feeling considerably less in tune with the beauty and spirituality of her surroundings than before.
As some time passed, the feel of her tail dragging along the ground began to cause Sanuye to feel drowsy, with the sound becoming like a sort of lullaby. 'Turn back, go to sleep, it's pointless,' it sang. Her eyes drooped and she blinked slowly, nostrils still flaring as she sought the scent of her target. She kept on.
The scent brought her farther from the canyons and closer to where brush started to grow, and from there, the trees. She was far from woods yet, but she could make out their shape in the darkness of the far horizon. A feeling of hope entered her chest and she felt a little lighter--the flowers would be nearby. But even with that feeling, her brows twisted together. Pessimism entered her mind. She may have gone the wrong way, or her nose may have fooled her and had her follow the wrong scent. No, the flowers would be here somewhere...they were, she knew it. She'd done this before. They had to be...they were. She just--...
Sanuye's nose tipped to the star-lined sky overhead and she felt small.
Perhaps venturing out at night was no good after all...
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Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2015 7:25 pm
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Night. The Darkness and shadows. The Familiar blackness of a sun-less sky.
Ryota sighed. No one was ever around this late at night. Everyone was asleep, hidden for the night, tucked safe and sound into their dens and burrows, and he had another long couple of hours ahead of him of talking to himself, wandering, and being bored out of his little head. Again. Why couldn't more Soquili be awake at night?! There was so much they were missing! The bats in flight when the moon was out, the lightning bugs glowing over the water and fields, the dewdrops shimmering in the very first gleamings of sunrise, the fogs creeping in giving everything a secretive vibe, where magic seemed more possible then ever.
Too bad everyone slept through it all. He was heading for a nearby canyon for a good spot to wander, or talk to himself, when he spotted, near the edge of the forest, a lone moving figure. He immediately went into his training, and crept around ahead of the figure and to the other side, closer to the canyon. Judging by the way the shadow moved it was a horse of some kind. the longer tail meant it was probably another Soquili, one of the Spirit-Touched horses the two-leggers prized so well. It was one of the tall ones. Ryota tilted his head slightly, and moved silently over the ground, the shadows left by the half-moon kept him hidden, and his own quick, fleeting movements carried him like a shadow over the terrain, until he stood on a small rock outcropping, looking down at the other one. they seemed to be heading somewhere specific, since their path wasn't wandering very much. At least, not as far as he could tell. He had good night vision but it wasn't perfect.
He watched the head of the other tilt up. There was nothing terribly special about the sky tonight as far as he was aware. The stars all shone in their usual places and paths, all their usual colors. This was no time to monitor a night-walker though, and he took a single step back, intending to fade into the dark without alerting the other he was ever there.
At least, that had been his intention. His hoof found a small rock, and it clattered against the larger rock he stood on. He froze. It had been a long time since he'd made a mistake like this, and standing on the rock outcropping, the other was sure to see his shadow, but he couldn't bring himself to move. Hopefully the sound wasn't as loud to the other as it was to him just then. Hopefully the other would continue on with whatever they were doing out here in the dark of the night. Hopefully.
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Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2015 11:01 am
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While it was true Sanuye was easily consumed by her own thoughts, often drifting between reality and the inner-workings of her mind, the mare always managed a keen awareness of her surroundings. So much so that she could be described as jumpy. It wasn't a trait she admired in herself, as it had caused some exceedingly awkward situations in the past, especially when meeting new friends (not that she had anyone she could consider a friend at present).
Just as her eyes began to well from that feeling of smallness she was growing enveloped by, a gravelly sound touched her ears and they shifted in unison with her body as it turned. Eyes wide and shining, she stared through the darkness to find the source of the noise, heart thumping wildly. It wasn't immediate at first, but the half-moon and unpolluted stars of the canyon betrayed him--a black Usdia.
Blinking rapidly, and then pausing completely, Sanuye attempted to calm herself. For a moment embarrassment rose in her chest from letting someone else see tears in her eyes, but they had gone by now, and it was dark--perhaps he hadn't seen. But that wasn't the most of her worries anyway! This was someone watching her. Why? It was frightening...wasn't it? She wasn't as frightened as she thought, just confused. Maybe because of his size...was that mean of her? Ugh, her over-thinking was exhausting. There was no reason this Usdia meant her any harm. She was always so quick to jump to conclusions.
Sanuye wanted to ask the stranger a million questions in a million ways. Who are you? What do you want? What are you doing there? Why are you watching me? Were you watching me? Is there something you need help with? What's your name?
Instead, the mare sheepishly stuttered out, "H-hello..." She wasn't sure what else she was supposed to do.
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Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2015 7:01 pm
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Posted: Fri May 01, 2015 7:44 pm
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The sound of the voice was a little startling given the male's otherwise nonthreatening appearance, but she overcame it once she heard his words (however few there were). His eyes were watchful, but seemed gentle enough.
She swallowed down her embarrassment, but not before wondering if she really seemed that helpless to a passer-by. It didn't boost her confidence, but that was her fault. It always was. One day she'd change...
"No, I was just..." Sanuye began answering, shaking her head and forcing a laugh. She was good at that. "I was looking for...night-blooming cereus?" she ventured hesitantly, but boldly compared to how she usually was. If the Usdia knew of it, perhaps he could help her (but then that would mean relying on someone else again), and if he didn't...yes, if he didn't, she'd be bold again and ask him to help her search. Maybe. If he continued to be, err...not-scary.
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Posted: Sat May 02, 2015 4:30 am
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Posted: Sat May 02, 2015 8:44 am
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The Usdia seemed curious in a foal-like way, and even though he had approached closer, Sanuye found herself relaxing a bit.
"It's a flower," she explained, glancing behind her in the direction she had previously been looking in, "the flower of a type of cactus." He didn't know what it was, that was apparent, but the rough-voiced Usdia seemed almost willing to help. Maybe, then...
"Its important for my, um...I'm an herbologist," she said somewhat sheepishly. "Would you happen to know the location of any cacti, at least...?" She still felt too embarrassed to ask him to help her look outright. This was enough, she thought...
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Posted: Sat May 02, 2015 8:55 am
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Ryota thought for a moment, then nodded. He had been this way before, He could take the strange mare to the cacti, but he wasn't sure if it would be the kind with the flower she needed. He started heading the way she'd been going, nearby there was a little patch of cacti he was familiar with, because he kept coming back to try and figure them out - no leaves, no flowers, just sharp poking things that hurt, a lot, if you got too close while investigating. "This way,"
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Posted: Sun May 03, 2015 3:20 pm
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Posted: Mon May 04, 2015 2:15 pm
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Ryota glanced back at the Mare, "No," he replied, looking ahead again. "Travel near here." he added, as if to explain how he new where to find A cacti, if not the one the mare was looking for. He wasn't sure he was leading her to the right kind of cacti, but he hoped it would be the kind she needed, though how she'd get a flower from it he had no clue, he'd only ever seen it as a big strange green spiky thing.
It took a bit but eventually he led the mare to the spot where the cacti he knew of grew. He glanced back at the mare, and stepped aside to let her pass him, giving a grunt and a nod towards the cacti. "There."
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Posted: Wed May 06, 2015 1:34 pm
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The Usdia was a--err--stallion of few words (was it rude to not know how to think of him?), it seemed. Sanuye glanced at him now and then out of curiosity as he walked ahead of her. A traveler...it made her think of her own lack of traveling experience. It also gave her a bit of a mental push to go through with what she had been wanting to for a while now--to get around more...to see more of the world and help more and just be more.
She followed him in silence until the Usdia stopped. When she had moved ahead of him as he directed, she lit up bright as the moon and rushed forward, hardly able to contain her enthusiasm. The area was swarming with groups of the cacti she sought, green stocks rising up out of the ground all over, stunning white flowers reaching for the moonlight. It was breath-taking.
Recovering from her momentary speechlessness, Sanuye chimed out, "Yes, these are them! The night-blooming cereus!" She was shining with awe and continued to examine the area. How was it that she had never been there before? So it was true, then...perhaps if she spent more time traveling, she would've found many more places like that on her own. She owed a lot to the Usdia.
"Thank you so much," Sanuye said after a moment, eyes brimming with gratitude. "Um, what's your name?" she asked, seeming unsure of how to ask the question. She couldn't wipe the smile from her face.
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Posted: Thu May 07, 2015 4:30 am
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Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2015 9:05 am
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 7:22 pm
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2015 9:45 am
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